Asked if Southgate, who earned 57 caps in an international career which stretched over eight years, is tough enough to assume the role, Stones said: “Being a defender I think it is born into him. Every manager knows when to have the ruthless streak in telling the players what they need. Sometimes it is not what those players want to hear and I have experienced that [with Southgate] in the under-21s. He knows all the players, he has been in the set-up and he’s been great for the under-21s. It’s going to be an exciting four games and hopefully it is going to be good for the future as well.”

Source: The Guardian October 05, 2016 18:00 UTC